He was once dubbed the future of UK garage. Brit nominations, platinum albums and MOBO victories were thrown his way. Then he released a song that sounded like it was about ice cream ('What's Your Flava?' - what were you thinking, more like?) And then he became the butt of a terrible gag involving catheters, a bird called Kes and an intensely irritating catchphrase. And then nothing. Had Bo Selecta completely crushed him? Had he returned to Southampton with his tail and beany hat between his legs? Well, the answer to that is a big fat no. Craig David has been to Cuba, regrouped, nicked a David Bowie sample and come back with a single that's so good, it will erase the soppy ballads, cheesy videos and thoughts about muttering the line 'Can I Have A Reeeewind' completely from your memory. DS caught up with Craig to have a natter about his new album, the UK urban scene and find out what he thinks about all this reality TV nonsense.

Can you tell us a little bit about your new track 'Hot Stuff' and explain why you chose it as your first single?
"I released it because I wanted a track that represented my interpretation of the club scene and culture right now. Using David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' kind of came about from Frazer T Smith, who is one of the producers on the record. I asked him to pull out some '80s soul records and he ended up pulling out a load of '80s pop records. He played me this one track and I heard this kind of [singing] 'Let's Dance', and I thought 'this has got a good vibe about it'. I wasn't familiar with the original, I think the time it came out was 1983. I was only born in 1981 so I wasn't really privy to the whole David Bowie empire. So I just thought 'that's great, let's use a little bit of that and build a track and I'll put my own little twist on it'. I think it came out really well. It had an instant, hooky, infectious... everything I'm trying to say is a verb. It was an instant, one listen, you get this, or you don't. It has a love/hate relationship, rather than one you fall in love with.

"It was a beautiful moment because I was using a track from the '80s and reintroducing people to David Bowie and that sound. And myself, I only knew David Bowie as the guy from Labyrinth, the wizard man. It was definitely an interesting experience. The fact that he said I could use the sample, as well, was kind of gratification in itself because if he'd said no, we'd have to have respected it because it's such a big hit and you don't want to mess around with such a classic. But the fact that he felt what I'd done to it was an extension of it in some way, rather than me messing around with what he had, it was cool."

Were you worried at all about the reaction you'd get from the die-hard Bowie fans?
"I'm not, to be honest with you, I'm not that bothered. You know what, there is that thing, where people have something they've grown up with and they don't want anyone messing around with it at all. And I'm like 'Really? This is what I'm trying to do and bring to the table'. And the fact that David Bowie was cool is what's cool. There's going to be people who don't like it and dislike it because they love the original so much. But hopefully there'll be other people that don't even know about David Bowie's music, who will just be like, 'Oh ok then'. Because Kanye West, his whole album is based around things that I didn't even know. And Puff Daddy as well."

The video for the single appears to have been influenced by MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This'. Is that right or are we going mad?
"You know what, it was one of these ideas that got thrown into the mix through one of the girls at the label who was helping me make the video. And she was like, 'Yeah, it would be cool to have some kind of MC Hammer style', and I was like, 'No, no, no, no, no, no, that's not cool'. And then she kind of sold me on the 'Buffalo Stance', Neneh Cherry, kind of thing. She wanted me to get dancers who were more old school, feisty, rather than the ultra-sexy normal routine. And it's been interesting because some people have come and said, 'Oh it's from Nenah Cherry's 'Buffalo Stance'', while other people have said MC Hammer. So it's a kind of cross between the two. Whenever anyone says MC Hammer, I'm like, 'Yeah, obviously we went into it trying to make this little ditty, ode to MC Hammer and those days when everyone was going crazy'. Obviously, because I would say I want MC Hammer dancing on my video, hahaha. And when the other people say Neneh Cherry, I say, 'Yeah, Neneh Cherry, cool. That's the vibe we had going on'. You know how it goes."

You worked with Kano earlier this year on 'This Is The Girl'. What do you think of the state of the UK urban scene at the moment?
"I think it's looking on the up. I mean Kano won the BT Award, so he's definitely putting the UK hip-hop scene on the map. And the Dizzee Rascals, the Wileys, the Sways, they are all coming through. You can stay underground for as long as you want. Repping your corner or repping your hood, whatever. That's a good thing, that's fine. But you have to recognise that in a country that is so multicultural and multi-styled, with all different types of listeners, to be very one-minded and think that because you are representing a certain clique and your area, that the rest of the nation will like you the same is wrong. You have to recognise that outside of London, there are people who aren't necessarily 'on' what's actually happening with the musical scene. A lot of people will pick up The Sun and go, 'Alright that's what's happening, I guess that's the gospel'.

"The music has to be at the forefront and it's not necessarily about the scene that it comes from. I think that certain things are put under a banner and are associated with being really cool, and it's about understanding that you can be an artist with real integrity and you can open up and have the world see how talented you are. You don't have to feel like you have to keep all your crew and all your people happy. I think people would like it to be like it is in America, where you can be like that and still sell records, because they have that whole thing where there's bravado and a 'this is my crew' thing. From the Wu-Tang, to G-Unit, to D-12, it's just like, 'Yeah, this is how we get down'. Over here, I think it's like, 'Who are these guys running around with their hats on tilt, with the stickers still on and tags on their jeans?', and not quite getting it. I think you should still rock all that. You don't have to change yourself, you just have to recognise the place that you're in. You can be clever about it and still get you're point across.

"And that's where I think Kano was clever, by being very open to allowing me to work with him. And vice-versa, it was really cool for me. But in terms of the single, I think that in hip-hop, across the board - in the UK and the US - if someone isn't given a hook or a chorus in a track, it's like where's the pay-off. You kind of get to the verse and it's great, but then it gets to the chorus and you're like, 'Well it sounds like you're still doing your verse'. You never get that bang. The fact that I was kind of able to do that melodic thing, that [singing] 'This is the girl that I want', and then it goes back into his verse - I think it was a good balance. 50 Cent's very clever at that. And Kanye West is very good at that, and you can see why these people go on to bigger and better things, because they have a lot of melodic stuff in their choruses. We need to be a bit more aware of what works."

Do you think it is any easier to make that crossover from the underground to the mainstream nowadays than when you first arrived on the scene?
"It's more of an issue that you have to have with yourself. I think if you have come from a scene, where you worry about what is the cool thing to do, and you worry about street cred and everything being in line, then if you feel you are breaking the mould you've either got be confident and comfortable with that, or stick to what you are doing. I think Kano has recognised that, and even The Streets has. When Mike Skinner dropped 'Dry Your Eyes', I bet that out of all the stuff that he'd done before, when the royalty cheque came through, he opened up his eyes for a moment and went, 'There's a different place here, where I can go, which has melody, and it's still actually me doing my poetic MCing and it works'. You kind of find something and think, 'well it works for a reason'. You've brought melody to something that before was quite cool, it doesn't mean you have to change your whole thing, you just have to be a bit open minded.

"It's as easy as you want it to be if you're confident enough to say I'm ready to break out of this. You can't be both. 50 Cent - he's cool because he's been able to become a star. Kanye West has done his thing. Jay-Z has done his thing. They have all gone on. But if you just want to rep your manor and stay too cool and you don't wanna embrace the mainstream, you'll fall into this void area."

Do you feel any pressure or have any expectations of matching the sales figures of your first album Born To Do It?
"Part of me is like yes, I'd love to eclipse that, but you know what? The industry has changed a lot. Back then downloads was a very different thing. It was the very early days of the download industry. And the days of 7 million records being sold probably isn't anymore. I mean even back then it was like, 'Wow, 7 million records'. So yes I do on one hand, but I also want to have longevity. It's like a rollercoaster ride and sometimes your albums will do better than others. But as long as you're proud and you put everything creatively into all your records, that's all you can do."

Are you proud of your new album?
"I'm proud of the fact that it's an album, which represents me being 26-years-old. It's current and I feel you could play these songs in a club right now and it should work. Also I'm proud that I've done it the way I wanted to do it and it wasn't influenced by other people telling me what to do. So, I'm proud of it just being me, being me. I know when I do, what I do best, regardless of whether anyone else likes it - I'm excited by it. Even when I was first doing 'Rewind' back in the day, I remember saying in the studio, 'If people don't get this bass line, then maybe we ought to turn the bass off and take the speakers out of the club'. Do you know what I mean? I'm proud that I've been able to make a record where I say, 'You know what? Whatever.'"

You're one of the last popstars to not have emerged from a TV show or reality programme. What do you make of the musicians that come from these avenues?
"Do you know what? It works. And on the odd occasion you get someone who stands the test of time. Like Lemar, who came out of Fame Academy. He wasn't one of the winners but he was still able to pave a career for himself, which I think is great. You've got Leona Lewis who can actually sing. She can blow! If she wants to let loose on some vocals, she can sing that girl. And Will Young. So I think all of these shows have created artists who have continued on.

"But do you know what? It's that transition of once that new X Factor person comes through or the new Pop Idol thing comes through, and where you line up then. Because TV advertising is hype! It gives you exposure beyond belief. But what happens when you have to stand up on your own two feet? I'm not sure if someone like Gareth Gates has seen this. He was a teen sensation but then the limelight went off him and on to someone else. Take Hear'say. Everyone at first was like 'Hear'say can't do anything wrong, they're at number one' - and then it was like nothing. These things have their day. That's the difference I think between longevity and something being reactive and imitating what someone else is selling. Just be cool, take your time and make sure you make a record that lasts. That's how it goes."